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Top Tips for Swimming Pool Maintenance in Winter
Once you’ve closed your pool down for winter, there are still a couple of maintenance tasks you’ll need to keep an eye on to ensure all your hard winterising work doesn’t go to waste.
Keeping your pool and equipment in tip-top condition throughout the off-season will mean you reduce the chances of damage and staining, along with ensuring there aren't as many opening costs in the spring.
The first step to maintaining your pool in winter is thoroughly closing it down, ready for hibernation throughout the colder months. The basics of pool winterising come down to investing in:
If you have yet to close down your pool and still require a bit of guidance, you can read our step-by-step guide to winterising your pool, which covers all the initial closing maintenance tasks you’ll have to perform.
Your winter pool cover is one of the main things keeping your pool safe when it’s not in use for extended periods. So, when you have finished your initial winterising task and secured your winter cover, make sure you keep an eye on it.
Every now and then, check it for damage – tears can occur if the surface is pierced by ice or other debris. Small tears or minimal damage may be repaired, but more extensive damage will likely make replacement the best option. Keep your cover clear of debris by regularly removing fallen leaves and anything else that accumulates.
During your cover checks, also make sure the cover is firmly secured to each fixing. You do not want the cover to sag or leave any gaps where debris could enter.
If you need a new cover, head over to our winter cover calculator to select the right size, type and fixings.
Ideally, you should keep your pool’s water just below the skimmer level throughout winter – exactly how much you reduce the water level will depend on the type of cover. Keeping an eye on the water level will help prevent freezing and will alert you to any potential damage caused by freezing.
If you’re using a mesh debris cover, you should ideally maintain your water level at around 30-50cm below the skimmer, as rain will filter through the cover, potentially causing the level to fluctuate more frequently. If using a solid cover, you may not have to reduce the water as much (around 10cm below the skimmer) as it will not increase with rainfall.
Periodically check the water level is where you want it to be throughout the harsher months to ensure filters and pumps don’t freeze.
If you’re worried about flooding, refer to our guide on how to fix a flooded pool during winter.
Balancing your pool chemicals correctly is a vital part of winterising your pool. Without using the right chemicals and water treatments from the start, you may have to maintain the water more often during the off-season, or you may return to dirty, unsanitised water in spring.
Even once you’ve added your winterising chemicals, the water can become imbalanced, so you may want to check it and test it every so often. You might not need to check your water as frequently as when it’s open (once or twice a week), but monitoring the chemical levels throughout the winter is still a good idea so you can top anything up when it’s needed.
Monthly checks will help keep your water ticking over – the most important checks remain testing the pH levels (should ideally be between 7.4-7.6) and the chlorine level (3ppm).
When closing down your pool, we recommend using algaecide to prevent any new growth while your pool is tucked away for winter. Using long-life algaecide will mean your pool is protected for months at a time.
The lower temperatures and a good winter cover should also help prevent algae growth. When performing your other checks, be on the lookout for any algae, as you’ll want to catch it early. Add additional algaecide to your water as and when it’s needed.
Even when not in use, you should keep a keen eye on equipment to make sure there aren't any leaks and nothing is at risk of freezing.
If you want to be extra prepared for when spring comes around again and are planning to open your pool back up on day one of the swimming season, make sure you’ve planned ahead.
Do you have all the necessary kit ready to go when the sun starts shining again? You’ll need things like essential pool opening chemicals, water testing kits and a solar cover.
Make sure all of your equipment (pumps, filters, heaters, etc) is in working order so you can assess whether anything needs repairing or replacing, ensuring you can get up and running again as soon as possible.
Giving your pool a bit of love during winter will pay off when you’re ready to start swimming again.
Here at 1st Direct Pools, we stock everything you need to maintain your pool throughout winter and into spring. Whichever pool maintenance tasks need completing, you’ll find a great range of chemicals, equipment and pool supplies right here to make things as convenient as possible – and we won’t be beaten on price!
